Bengaluru tech worker arrested for abducting, killing 13-year-old boy

On September 19, 2023, Bengaluru police arrested a 28-year-old IT professional named Bhaskar Reddy for the alleged abduction and murder of a 13-year-old boy from his neighborhood. The crime, which unfolded over two days, has sent shockwaves through the city’s tech community.

According to police, Reddy, a finance section employee at a private company in Whitefield, had returned from London just a few months ago after completing a master’s degree. Investigators believe he planned the abduction to demand ransom from the victim’s family, hoping to use the money to clear personal debts.

The victim, a 13-year-old boy living in Vinayakanagar in Yelahanka, was reportedly lured by Reddy and an unidentified accomplice on the evening of September 16. The suspects offered to take the boy to buy firecrackers and even allowed him to drive the car. Once inside, the victim was taken to a remote construction site near Bagalur, where he was bound and forced to record a video pleading with his father to pay a ransom.

Police revealed that the suspects bandaged the boy’s head and body to simulate injuries, making the ransom demand appear more urgent. Despite the boy’s compliance and pleas for release, the assailants struck him on the head with a tree branch and then crushed the back of his skull with a hollow brick. The murder, investigators said, was premeditated: Reddy feared the boy might later identify him.

After the killing, Reddy placed the body in the trunk of his car and drove away under the influence of alcohol. On the road near Hunsmaranahalli, the vehicle collided with several others. Passersby stopped the car and questioned Reddy, who claimed the boy had been injured in an accident and that he was rushing him to a hospital. When they checked the trunk and found the body, they alerted police.

A case has been registered at Chikkajala police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering abduction and murder. Police said they have arrested Reddy but are still searching for his accomplice. “The suspect had been planning this for several weeks. He used his familiarity with the family to gain the boy’s trust,” a senior officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The incident has raised questions about safety in suburban Bengaluru and the pressures faced by young professionals returning from abroad. Local residents held a small protest demanding stricter policing and faster investigation of missing children cases.

In related developments, the boy’s family released a statement expressing grief and demanding the death penalty for the accused. Legal experts note that while capital punishment is available for such crimes, India’s judiciary rarely imposes it except in the “rarest of rare” cases.

Police have also launched a forensic review of the ransom video and the suspect’s phone records to trace any digital evidence of the planning. Meanwhile, the victim’s school has offered counseling to students affected by the tragedy.

This case echoes a disturbing trend of kidnapping-for-ransom involving tech professionals in Indian cities. According to crime statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, Bengaluru reported 14 ransom-related abductions in 2022, with a conviction rate of just over 40%.

The investigation continues, with authorities urging anyone with information to contact Chikkajala police station.